what I'm making right now...

Beautiful, silky, shiny, chocolate ganache. We have all seen it, tasted it, and wished it was considered an appropriate breakfast. But when it is cooled and covered in cocoa, or powdered sugar, or nuts, it is elevated to that most stylish of chocolate desserts: Truffles.

Part of their mystery is that they are named after something decidedly unlike the sweet, rich chocolate that makes them so amazing. If you Google "truffle," this is probably what you'll find:

truf·fle -ˈtrəfəl/noun

a strong-smelling underground fungus that resembles an irregular, rough-skinned potato, growing chiefly in broadleaved woodland on calcareous soils. It is considered a culinary delicacy and found, especially in France, with the aid of trained dogs or pigs.

a soft candy made of a chocolate mixture, typically flavored with rum and covered with cocoa.

YES. You read correctly. A "strong smelling underground fungus...found...with the aid of pigs." And the chocolate version is listed second? And wait, what is calcareous soil, anyway? Oh, my!

Whew, let's get back to the yummy chocolate. Look at it below, all piled and waiting for hot cream to make it come to life...

So then why the moniker?

Well, if you've ever tried to roll chocolate ganache in your hands and then roll it in cocoa and endeavor to maintain a round shape, it is pretty much impossible. And so, when you're trying to roll ganache it just comes out rough, ruddy, uneven and...yes... looking like a Truffle.

​BINGO.

On the left, the beautiful, misshapen, chocolately truffle. On the right...you guessed it. ​

Now there is a time and a place to expound on the virtues of the earthen truffles. They have an absolute amazing flavor that is quite delicate and certainly transforming. But we're just gonna keep making fun of it in this blog.

And I will bet that serving a fungus with Amaretto soaked Blackberries has yet to be done. But never say never.

Lest we drift away from our original intent, below you will find the recipe. No need to bring pigs or dogs to find it. In the meantime, I will continue to eat and test these in my continuing effort to find trouble with truffles.

Place the rinsed berries in a bowl and add the Amaretto. Set aside for at least 4 hours.

Shave the chocolate until it is in very small, fine pieces. Place in a large glass bowl. Bring the cream to steaming and when you see a bubble or two, just a smidgen past scalded, pour the cream into the chocolate and quickly add the coffee, vanilla and salt. Begin to stir and blend with a spatula, making sure all the pieces have melted into the chocolate. If your chocolate is too coarse, or your milk not boiling, you will have lumps. You do NOT want to have to microwave this to melt the rest of the pieces. It will ruin the chocolate. Now, some recipes say leave on the counter to set up. I found it very valuable to put in the fridge until set. When it is the consistency of stiff fudge sauce, use a small melon baller and scoop out the ganache, forming a ball with your hands. (Here's where the whole "truffle" thing comes in. Don't worry about making them perfect. They're not supposed to be.) Drop them into the cocoa powder mixed with the cayenne and cinnamon and cover. Place on a clean dish and refrigerate until served or serve right away, like it did, next to a small bowl of the blackberries!

They will keep for a couple of days covered in the fridge.

You can roll some of the in powdered sugar, or finely chopped walnuts. You can replace the coffee with liquor.

As I was jogging in the morning air, it occurred to me that I was feeling the sidewalk extend out in front of me, and my feet became heavy and slow. Gosh, that hill looks like its such a long way in the distance, I puffed between gasps for air. I'm not getting "there." Then I looked down at my feet, and became re-absorbed by the rhythm of their cadence against the concrete. I was aware of the timing of my breath, the rushing of blood against my temple, and finally, saw how quickly the leaves beneath me were going by. It appeared I was speeding along nicely after-all.

How are these two perspectives valuable? Although I am a proponent of optimism, it is not always good to constantly be looking far into the future. First of all, it doesn't exist. It is a creation we have conjured to help our mortal minds plan for the 'next' thing. And because if the immediate furture's proximity, we often beat ourselves up for not 'going fast enough.'

In contrast, (although my speed is nothing compared to the cars going by, the jets whizzing overhead, or even the dizzying speed of our spinning planet,) and by looking at where I am right this minute, I see that I am moving forward, creating music with each step, discovering that I am going as fast as I am meant to go, and making progress. At the end of the day I need to refocus and not obliterate the progress I made from dawn to dusk. I have to be ever-present and full of gratitude for each step, each line in the sidewalk, and each benevolent moment I am living.

How can a dessert be an appropriate segue for this story? I see dessert as a celebration. A reward -- a sweet, beautiful, luxurious one -- for being blessed and full of enough bounty to nourish our bodies. And as I try and celebrate today and the progress I've made no matter how far away my goals seem to be, something sweet rises up as the best way to share this idea with you.

Meet the Cook...

My name is Camine Pappas and I love to create beautiful and delicious food that anyone can make. My signature style centers around a love for combining things in a way you might not expect as I work to find a hidden combination of colors, textures and flavors from the things that are in my pantry and/or easy to obtain.

Want to get spontaneous with me? It's pretty exciting. Let's all find out what happens when, "I Feel Like Cooking."